


night breezes seem to whisper

by skeletonfics



Category: The Mortal Path (Podcast)
Genre: Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Missing Scene, Sharing a Bed, just guys being dudes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26101387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeletonfics/pseuds/skeletonfics
Summary: Findex blinked at him slowly, slit pupils dilated in the low light. “Huh?”The tiefling waved vaguely with his arm that held the blankets. “We can sleep together. In the same cot, I mean. That way, we’re both less cold.” He paused. “Unless you don’t want to do that, which is fine.” He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world, because it really was.
Relationships: Findex/Taro, Tindex
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	night breezes seem to whisper

**Author's Note:**

> small missing scene between taro and findex during the time they spent on the farm together

Taro shivered and rubbed his arms. The tiefling’s tail was curled tight around one skinny leg, like a grape vine on a trellis. He loved the way his silk shirt opened at the chest, but as it turned out it didn’t protect against the stealthy cold of the desert night particularly well. 

It was nice to be alone with his thoughts for a moment, his only company the remaining corn swaying in the fields and the lavidaloca's distant singing to each other in the dunes. Craning his neck upward, Taro wondered briefly where “home” was among the thousands of stars in the sky. He’d never been much good at figuring out that stuff. 

“Taro?” He didn’t bother turning around to face the croaky, timid voice behind him. Well, less timid than before. Taro had to hand it to Findex, he had grown- at least marginally- in his confidence since they’d met. “Um, it’s getting pretty late. And it’s cold out here! Want to… well, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but we still have work to do tomorrow so maybe…” 

With a quiet exhale, Taro turned around. Findex was standing in the doorway of the hut they’d been lodging in, his claws fidgeting on his crutches. He was too big to stand up straight or he'd bump his head on the frame; instead he was somewhat hunched over. 

Taro smiled. “Hey, if you’re so desperate for me to come inside, I’ll come inside! Instead of turning into a tiefling icicle out here. Which I was kind of enjoying, if you must know.” Taro traipsed toward Findex, trying to look less cold than he felt, but his tail was absolutely not budging from his leg. 

“Still feels kind of weird that you call yourself a tiefling when that’s what I am as well,” Findex said, a nervous chuckle trailing after the words. “I mean, we’re very- different.” 

Taro shrugged. “Not such a bad thing. It’s something we have in common, innit?” He dug his elbow (gently) into Findex’s side, who immediately looked flustered. Very easy to set the lizard off, and he enjoyed doing it, especially when the frill around his neck popped open like an umbrella.

“Right,” Findex said, patting down his frills hastily. “Um, so- bed?” 

Their lodgings were simple cots with thin blankets strewn atop them. Not exactly goose feather pillows and silk sheets, but Taro had slept on worse. He stretched, yawned and kicked off his boots. In his usual fashion, he curled up in the middle of the cot, blankets arranged in a nest. He heard Findex fumbling around on his own, the springs creaking under his weight. Couldn’t be very comfortable for a big guy like him, especially not with a broken leg, Taro thought. 

...And neither was Taro. He was still  _ freezing.  _ He held his fingers up to his mouth and breathed on them, attempting to burrow further into his covers. It still wasn’t enough. 

“Taro, are your teeth… chattering?” Findex asked. 

“Uh, yes. Just doing my best skeleton impression. Hah.” 

There was a beat of silence. “Do you want my blankets? I mean, I don’t mind sleeping without them really and the cold makes me kind of sleepy anyway, and I wouldn’t want you to get sick or-”

“Naw, Windex, it’s alright, don’t worry about it.” He turned over, staring at a spider crawling on the ceiling. “Actually…” He sat up, gathering the blankets in his arms, and stood over Findex’s cot. “Scoot over, will you?” 

Findex blinked at him slowly, slit pupils dilated in the low light. “Huh?” 

The tiefling waved vaguely with his arm that held the blankets. “We can sleep together. In the same cot, I mean. That way, we’re both less cold.” He paused. “Unless you don’t want to do that, which is fine.” He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world, because it really was. 

“That- that wouldn’t make you- uncomfortable?” Findex was propped up on his elbow now, some of his frills raised. 

Taro rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t done it before, right?” He watched Findex’s eyes widen with recognition of the memory of their limbs tangled together on the floor of one of the many rooms in the Fallen City, the headache and awkward untangling that came afterward. 

“Oh. Right. Yeah. That’s- alright, yeah, let me just…” Findex maneuvered himself to the side, wincing slightly as he dragged his bad leg. He left just enough room for Taro to squeeze himself onto the cot, which he did, but they were pressed flush together. 

The tiefling was small enough to fit alongside Findex, only just. Taro lay his head on the other’s shoulder and felt every muscle in the lizard immediately tense. “Does this suck? Do you want me to get up?” 

Findex made a strangled noise in his throat. “No. No, it’s fine! I’ve just never really… shared a bed with someone… You’re sure this isn’t weird for you? I’m awfully big, you must be so uncomfortable, and-” 

“Windex, re _ lax. _ ” Taro patted his forearm lightly. “It isn’t weird. It’s just like a- a sleepover thingy. I think I have a memory being a kid having one of those. Do you have those here?” 

Taro’s words seemed to make Findex relax slightly, the tension holding his body rigid melting ever so. “I’ve heard of them, but not for people like me. That would have made us soft. Too soft to fight.” Findex laughed weakly. “Not that it helped me much. I wasn’t very good at dealing with you, was I?” 

Wriggling to find a more comfortable position, Taro folded his hands over his stomach. He’d started to warm up a bit with the weight of the combined blankets. Findex himself was actually quite cool to the touch, but it didn’t hurt to be next to someone. “Not so bad to be a bit weak. It meant we took a shine to you, right? Now look where you are! You’re your own independent… lizard man.” 

Findex’s face brightened at that. “I guess I am, aren’t I? But it’s kind of scary to have to make decisions and all that. The- the army was awful, don’t get me wrong, but it felt kind of nice to have someone to tell you what to do. I don’t really get how you can just… do what you want and not worry about making mistakes.” 

Taro shrugged. “I have made them, a lot. Think I’m just used to messing up now. But you move on from it, you know- just have to keep going. Besides, for now I’ll tell you what to do if you can’t figure it out on your own.” As they spoke, Taro had conformed to the shape of Findex’s side, and the lizard’s arm had worked its way around his shoulders. “Or Nat will, I guess. She’s more of a leader than I am.” 

“I kind of like it when it’s just us,” Findex said, absentmindedly. He started when he realised what he’d said. “Not that I don’t like Nat and Nerium! I just- it’s just-” 

“My natural charm and wit? Don’t blame you, Windex, I’m just great like that.” Taro paused. “I like it here too. Nice to forget about all the bullshit I’m expected to participate in- fate, intrigue, all that. Wish I could just leave it behind, but it wouldn’t be fair on Nat or Nerium.” He knocked his fist against Findex’s. “We’re a team, right?” he added, through a yawn. 

“Erm, yeah. Guess we are.” Taro felt one of Findex’s large, paw-like hands clumsily pet his head. It was nice. “Night?” 

“Night, Windex.” 

Taro hadn’t realised up until that point, but his body had stopped shaking. He pressed his face to Findex's chest and could hear the beat of his large heart- metaphorically and literally. The other’s breathing slowed to a deep and steady rhythm before his did, claws tangled in the freshly grown curls between Taro's horns.

It almost reminded him of past nights in which he’d shared beds- more than beds, really- warm and comfortable and held. But that had all been more of a dance, and the sleep was just a pause in the music. He was always moving, trying to keep up and anticipate his partner's next move. There was the ever-present risk of tripping and spoiling the intricate web at any moment. But not with Findex.

There was a dance, in a way, but Taro got to make it up as he went and Findex had never even danced in the first place. A mistake was a new move, to be taken in stride, and if they fell down they could get back up again. Taro liked that. He liked that a lot. 

Somewhere in the dunes outside, a lavidaloca chittered a lullaby to her cubs and Taro fell asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> i dont remember when this happened in canon and what happened before/after so i left details very vague... please can i have a better memory


End file.
